Without the TV series American Crime Story I probably wouldn’t have read this nonfiction book about O.J. Simpson’s, a famous American football player, trial in which he’s charged double murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Lyle Goldman.

The evidence against O.J. are more than enough but the defense lead lawyer at the end Johnnie Cochran successfully used the race card about two years after L.A. riots so the jury would vote based on the emotions and not objectively. Just at the beginning O.J. hired Robert Shapiro who I guess is more known to make plea deals and not by winning fully in the court. Both the author’s of the book and mine after having read this book and watched the TV series is that O.J. did it. But I think I should warn those who don’t know the verdict that it is revealed already in the book’s prologue. Further I will talk about it, but I guess I have already given a hint!

So the jury’s final verdict was not guilty and O.J. was released. Maybe a bit ironic that in 2008 he was sentenced to 33 years for kidnapping and stealing his awards, trophies in Las Vegas with a chance of parole in 2017. Once more I need to mention Robert Shapiro who seemed more shocked than happy about the verdict and didn’t hesitate to criticize defense for using race, and trying to renew his reputation before the trial. By doing that he damaged any big financial future for O.J. which in any case wasn’t a bright one. I mean if you are defending the defendant then do it all the way.

But not everything can be credited to the defense as also the prosecution with Marcia Clark (after the trial has become a writer) and Christopher Darden in foreground. It almost seems that they had too much evidence, so much that the idea that LAPD had fabricated the case against O.J. rooted in so many minds, and the known fact and even today an important topic about police using unnecessary force and with more special attention against African-American certainly didn’t help.

A very good post more about the DNA evidences and how defense skillfully used the mistakes which were made handling them. Another mentioning worthy fact during the trial is about the gloves… I guess they probably shouldn’t have asked O.J. to try them on.

I almost forgot to mention the judge Lance Ito who also wasn’t at the top of his job/game, and his obsession with the media and abilities to deal with them for sure had its impact on the trial.

I read the book and watched the TV series at the same time and I wouldn’t complain. So is it better to read and watch later or vice versa I don’t know.